Federated Farmers spit the dummy over emotional wording?
Wed 1 Sep 2010: Federated Farmers spit the dummy over emotional wording?
Federated Farmers refuse to sign river accord 1 September 2010
Federated Farmers has refused to sign an accord to clean up the polluted Manawatū River. Tararua Federated Farmers president John Barrow said his members were not happy with statements in the regional leaders' accord which farmers viewed as "emotional and unscientific" on the state of the river. An example of the "emotive" language was a description of the river as lacking in life, when it was not actually biologically dead, and he said members did not like the focus on the river being cleaned up by the parties discharging effluent and other contaminants. The accord was signed three weeks ago by 27 industry, council, environmental and iwi groups, and though Federated Farmers baulked at the last minute, it said it would sign later.
It has now refused to sign, and tried to promote its own version, as "the people's accord" but has been barred from future meetings of the regional leaders' forum.
United Future leader Peter Dunne today accused Federated Farmers of paying only "lip service" to the problem of animal effluent going into waterways. Labour's environment spokesman Charles Chauvel said Federated Farmers had misjudged community backing for the clean-up of the river. "Every New Zealander wants to see a profitable dairying sector," Mr Chauvel said. "But Kiwis are increasingly aware that too many of our rivers are no longer able to be swum in, fished from or drunk out of." Farmers were big contributors to this problem and needed to step up and play their part in finding solutions, he said.
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Federated Farmers floats Manawatū People’s Accord Tuesday, 31 August 2010
Following consultation with members of Federated Farmers, the Federation has drafted the ‘Manawatū River People’s Accord’, intended to complement the recently signed ‘Leaders’ Accord’. “By deliberately calling it the People’s Accord, Federated Farmers wants to put the entire community’s focus on the river, given we are part of the community too,” says Gordon McKellar, Federated Farmers Manawatū/Rangitikei provincial president.
“This is not a rival Accord but a complementary one we are putting to our Accord partners today, because we wish to sit around the same table. “Farmers made it very clear to us that they were unprepared to sign-up to anything that was driven by emotion and not reason. The public deserve nothing less than the scientific truth so they can come to a balanced and informed decision.
“The process we have run through gives me confidence to present this document to Accord partners in order to get their feedback. It’s a document that farmers and we hope, other community groups, will be comfortable joining with as well,” Mr McKellar added. Crucially, the goals for both Accord’s are identical according to Federated Farmers Tararua provincial president, John Barrow.
“We all want the same thing and that is a River to be proud of because farmers are part of the community and part of the solution,” says Mr Barrow. “Emotive words that described the River as ‘lacking in life’ are at odds with what we farmers know about it. We knew the River is not biologically dead – far from it. “That’s why we have deliberately inserted native fish species into the main goal. The focus of farmers is on aiding our native fauna, so it was odd that word was omitted from the ‘Leader’s Accord’.
“As we’ve written into our People’s Accord, for anything to be achieved, the Manawatū River community needs ready access to credible scientific information that identifies the causes, the remedies and the economic costs involved with any solution. “We’ve said all along that Federated Farmers takes signing a document seriously and by being thorough, we honestly feel this document is something farmers can put their name to,” Mr Barrow concluded.
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Federated Farmers complementary accord a joke Wednesday, 1 September 2010
United Future leader Peter Dunne has labelled Manawatū Federated Farmers ‘complementary’ accord on the Manawatū River “a joke”. “I am hugely concerned that Manawatū Federated Farmers has chosen to go it alone in dealing with the problems of the Manawatū River,” said Mr Dunne. Federated farmers claim to want a river they can be proud of, but need ‘ready access to credible scientific information that identifies the causes, the remedies and the economic costs involved with any solution’.
“It is the last part of that statement that really shows the farmers true concerns. While they are willing to pay lip service to being part of the solution, they will only do so if they feel the cost is not too high to them,” said Mr Dunne. “It is the cost of doing nothing that is the true cost to this and future generations.” “Are we going to sit back and allow one section of the community to destroy our outdoor heritage because they may have to change how they operate to do so?” “Surely if farmers were so concerned about protecting the Manawatū River they would not wish to see cows adding to the rivers problems,” said Doug Stevens, UnitedFuture spokesperson on the environment and outdoor recreation.
“Rivers are publicly owned and available resources,” said Mr Stevens. “Any group that does not take action to preserve them is stealing our heritage both from this and future generations.”
“Now is the time for Federated Farmers to prove that they are responsible members of the community, drop this charade, sign up to the Leaders Accord and begin cleaning up this river,” said Mr Dunne.
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Labour expresses disbelief at Manawatū Federated Farmers Stance 1 September 2010
Labour Party Environment Spokesperson Charles Chauvel has expressed disbelief at the Manawatū branch of Federated Farmers refusal to sign an accord to clean up the polluted Manawatū River and says the decision badly misjudges public opinion.
“Every New Zealander wants to see a profitable dairying sector. But Kiwis are increasingly aware that too many of our rivers are no longer able to be swum in, fished from or drunk out of. Farming is a big contributor to this problem and needs to step up and play its part in finding solutions. “The next Labour-led Government will be setting ambitious goals to ensure improved water quality. It is always preferable to see farming and other industry groups working voluntarily with the Government and communities to achieve these goals.
“But there should be no doubt in anyone's mind that if such cooperation is not forthcoming, resort will be had to regulatory solutions,” Charles Chauvel said.
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Manawatū River Leaders’ Forum needs flexibility Wednesday, 1 September 2010
Federated Farmers is saddened by the Manawatū River Leaders’ Forum resolving to exclude it from future meetings. “Federated Farmers will abide by the goals of the Accord, which are near identical to what farmers were prepared to sign,” says Gordon McKellar, Federated Farmers Manawatū/Rangitikei provincial president. “I think they have missed an important point, because farmers were willing to enter into a major undertaking but instead, have become hung up on some small but important text changes.
“We hope that after October’s elections, some calm and mature reflection will see us being asked to rejoin. We’re not a rival but have suggested a toolbox approach aligned to the same outcome. “Farmers rejected emotive wording like ‘…the river…has been described as dirty, lacking life and culturally compromised’ in favour of a clear statement that, ‘we acknowledge factual evidence that the Manawatū River is degraded’. “I think that’s a vast improvement over what came across as opaque wording. Independent research indicates that what the Leaders’ Accord acknowledged as the ‘view’ of the community on the state of the river, was factually incorrect.
“The public deserve nothing less than the scientific truth with an honest process so they can come to a balanced and informed decision,” Mr McKellar added. Federated Farmers ‘Manawatū River People’s Accord’ also modified the original document in two other important respects, according to Federated Farmers Tararua provincial president, John Barrow.
“The original surprisingly failed to mention ‘native’ beside fish species, so we have added that important word to ensure that the river ‘sustains native fish species’, Mr Barrow said. “Given we were prepared to establish, with the Leaders’ Accord, ‘a collaboratively owned and implemented Action Plan by 2011’, their angst seems to stem from us adding that it should also, ‘scientifically identify the causes, remedies and the economic costs of’ the Accord’s commitments. “It shows a worrying lack of accountability given the leaders are prepared to reject it.
“Yet, Federated Farmers can point to Hawke’s Bay Regional Council trialling floating pontoons of fibrous weed mats – 300 metres of which soaked up 15 percent of the nitrogen in a water way. Watercress may similarly be nature’s nitrogen scrubber. Research like this supports a catchment care approach.
“Our industry, with Accord and non-Accord partners like DairyNZ, is working upon a wide range of solutions. We’re not sitting around doing nothing but are getting on with it and we are only a phone call away, should the Forum have a change of heart,” Mr Barrow concluded.
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